Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1887-03-05
DRIFT.

In 4" Paul Patofi," Marion Crawiord's
latest story, now running in the Atlantic
M0athiy, there h Q description OF . certain
young iady whom we oil know, which In -
clever - anything Mr.. Crawford has written.
When my eyes first fell upon II was almost
startled. The portrait was 20 we'll drawn
that recognized Il 81 oncA ! don't think
Nj. Cnw ford hes ever besn here at Lsncas.
var but II he had lived hero lifetime he
could not have produced . moro accurate
picturs OF our mutual friend, who just now
v 70 numerous, popular and omniprssent
In Paul Patoff her name IN given "a
Chrysophrasia DAbstreak. I know her by
Other names. Hut that makes no difference
She cannot disguise herself under any mama
We know her by this: +" Her eye reJoicss
only In the tints oi the cruAhed strawberry
and the faded olive her ear loves the lin.
itsd poetry Of doubtful sound produced BY
abortive attempts 70 revive the unbarred
melodies Of the troubAdours ana her soul
thrills responslvely In the checkered light
falling through . stained glass window, ~ .
sensitive plant waves its sticky leaves when
. fly u In tho neighborhood." BY the way,
that In new fact about the sensitive plant
! wonder whether Mr.. Crawford has Il COPY.
righted. The Linpman society ought TO
wrte 70 him for specimen OF that scnsitive
plant he may have one, for he has come
across some wonderful things In his travels,
II ono may Judge by his novels.
Bur life has attractions Tor ChrysOphra-
sia," To turn again n our portrait "She on.
joys II after her own fashion. 1t II Q little
disconnected. The relation between cause
and effect 10 little obscure She il fragmon.
tary. She is . series Of unfinished sketches
In various manners. She has her being In
the past tsnse, and her future, II she could
have II after her taste, would be the past
msde present She has many aspirations
and few Of them are realized, but all OF them
are sketched In faint hues upon the mist Of
her medieval atmosphere. She IL, In the
language Of . lyric from her own pen,
The shadow Of fair ana Of Joyous impossible,
That IS cast on the m.t o; the sea by the light OF
the sges to come
Her hand writing In Gothic. Her heart In OF
the type created by Mr.. Swinburne In the
minds Of those who do not understand him
In their minds, for In the flesh tho type In
not found. Moreover, she resents modern.
ness OF every kind, including the steam on.
North America and myself Her political
creed shadows forth the government OF the
future a. pleasant combination Of conmun-
ism and knight baronry, wherein all op.
pressed parsons ahall have republics, and an
nice people shall wear armor, and live In
castles, and strew the floors ot their rooms
with rushes and their garments with the
snatomIc monstrosities Of heradic blazon."
Do you want to know how she lookse
Well, she doesn't always look exactly the
same. But her usual appearance is pretty
nearly like this " Personally Miss Dab.
streak IL q faded blonde, with a very large
nose, . wide mouth garnished with Imperfect
teeth, very thin figure OF considerable
height, . poor com plex ion i'll set off by scanty,
struggling fair hair garments OF unusual,
greentsh hues, fitted in An unusual and irregu.
lar manner, hang In fantastic folds about the
angles OF her frame, and her attitudes are
strange and improbable" Al for her re-
ligiop, " her mind 10 disturbed in Its choice
between q palatable form OF Buddhism and
. particularly luscious adaptation of Greek
mythology but In either case AZ much
Christianity would be indispensable ~ would
give the whole flavor OF crusading." Her
earthly affections are set chiefly upon certain
" earthen vessels, abominabis In color and
useless To civilized man." concerning which
she Ia wont to discourse with all the elo
quence OF love A. her Spanow Morescow
Things, a. she calls them, her Marstrow-
6eawgiow and her RObby ah." In literature
she In just now infatuated with Gogol and
Pushkin and their unpronounceable con-
freres. " adore Russians" she exclsims
lucy hsSe sucn JOY Gus saNor OF the Wliu,
free steppss y
j. Chrysophrasla Dapstreak, or by what
ever other name we may know the poor
thing-is the modern .esthete male or 70.
male, to DO accepted a. her own estimate, as
the highest outcome OF our civilization, the
finest flower Of human culture and refine
ment How sad II would be II We had any
reason for thinking so'
FoRTUNATELY we haven't We know
from history and observation Of the laws Of
human progress that all such apparent carl.
catures of culture are nothing but the gro
tesque embryo, immature and uniformed,
which after few generations will result In
the perfected and fully developed man or
woman OF culture. Ludicrous and pitiiul as
are our young aesthetics with their ridiculous
pretensiOns, let us bear with them a pa
tiently ~ we can. They are prophetic Of bet
ter things In the future. They are the infant
scholars In the school Of culture, trying to
learn the alphabet and spell out the simplest
syllaoles. 1t is funny, of course, to watch
their laundering attempts and see what
dreadful botches they make Off But 1t Is
good sign for the future. 1t ia proof that
America Ia at least beginning to wish for
culture, and trying to attain To it Every.
body must learn the ALPHABET before he Can
read. And am rejoiced that young Amer
lea 10 ut 1t at last that We are beginning to
consider culture ~ worth trying Tor, or N
least rs worth initating. Getting money Is
no longer the only thing We live Tor. After
a while, in fifty or q hundred years from
nov, young America will have graduated
from the infant school, ard will not only
know what culture Ia, but will possess It.
The present dudism Is only an unavoidable
stage In our development towards our true
end and condition. Only have a little IA.
thence. We will soon be- over the worst, or
ut lsast the siliicst period OF our social life.
In literature, ! think, we are already over
the worst, though our literature IL really not
yet century old. The only thing tina. occa
siOnaliy makes me doubt this conclusion il
when see 1t stated and dwelt upon and re-
iterated In our papers and magazines. For
reached me, l see an "Opsn Letter." un.
etic Outlook In America" Az soon a. a
we'll, 1t IL In danger of doing very III Sell.
aatjsfactiOn stunts and binders growth.
is interesting In the article. And 1t Ia quite
surprising what q countless throng the COM
pany OF American verse-makers has grown
TO be. Several scores are mentioned who
have within the last few years published
hooks OF poetry ot greater or less worth. 1t
10 true, none OF them are poets OF the frat
rank few, very lew, even OF the second
Whilo several are mentioned who hardly
have o claim to the name Of poet at all, at
least no better claim Than many others